Dataset on the geographical distribution of species of the genus Solanum, subgenus Leptostemonum in Uganda

The dataset includes the diversity, occurrence points and a distribution map of species of the subgenus Leptostemonum in Uganda. The data was obtained following field surveys carried out in various parts of Uganda. These were guided by distribution data retrieved from Makerere University Herbarium and Flora of Tropical East Africa (FTEA). At each sampling site, species name, altitude and habitat type were recorded. Occurrence points were geocoded using a hand-held GPS (a ≤ 5M Germin S90 GPS). The distribution map was generated using ArcMap 10.7.1 software. The dataset consists of 172 occurrence points representing 18 species of subgenus Leptostemonum that occur in Uganda. The data can be used to assess the effect of climate change on the diversity and distribution of these species. The data set is also important for informing resource users, conservationists and policy makers about the biodiversity hotspots of these economically important species.

policy makers about the biodiversity hotspots of these economically important species. ©

Value of the Data
• The geo-coordinates and occurrence maps of Solanum species have been contributed as new information since the last study carried out in Uganda about 30 years ago [1] .• This nation-wide dataset has given an update of the important sites for the conservation of the rare and endangered species of the genus and also defined future collection points.• The data brings significant contributions specifically to the immediate resource users and policy makers including; conservationists, plant breeders and ecologists.• The data may be used to design better management strategies to improve sustainable use in the face of climate change.

Background
Solanum includes three species of economic importance: tomato ( Solanum lycopersicom L.), potato ( Solanum tuberosum L.) and eggplant ( Solanum melongena L.) with species of minor importance such as pea eggplant ( S. torvum Sw.) and tree tomato ( S. betaceum Cav.) [2] .In Uganda, the species are of considerable economic and social importance.For instance, 39% of the vegetables consumed locally are from Solanum genus [3] but, they have been neglected in research.This study aimed at giving detailed occurrence data, highlighting the diversity and distribution of these species within the different geographical regions of the country.The data is open and reusable for better planning and conservation.

Data Description
The data set entitled "Diversity and distribution dataset for the species of the Leptostemonum clade in Uganda (version 2)" was uploaded to Mendeley data repository [4] ( https: //data.mendeley.com/datasets/r8dbdy7zmt/2).In the repository, the uploaded file was named "distribution data" with its content as given below.
The data were obtained during our fieldwork surveys carried out between July and December 2019 within the different geographical regions.The data presented includes species occurrence points and the distribution map of the 18 species of subgenus Leptostemonum in Uganda.The number of each species sampled and georeferenced have been presented in Fig. 1 and the species distribution per each region presented in Table 1 .The species, habitat types as well as the elevation from which they were collected are listed in Table 2 .Southwestern Uganda had the highest species numbers collected while Karamoja region had the highest species diversity, with species found in the region restricted within its range.Solanum campylacanthum was the most collected species, occurring in all the geographical regions of Uganda.Phenotypic images of some of the 18 species have been presented in Fig. 2 (a -o).
Occurrence points obtained as geo-coordinates from our field surveys were used to generate a species distribution map ( Fig. 3 ) using ArcMap 10.7.1 software.The mapping units used for the distribution map were based on the regions of Uganda and sub-regions as defined in Table 3 .

Fig. 1 .
Fig. 1.The frequency of each species sampled and georeferenced during the field surveys.

Fig. 3 .
Fig. 3. Species distribution map for 18 species of the Subgenus Leptostemonum in Uganda.

Table 2
Species of the subgenus Leptostemonum that occur in Uganda.Habitat and elevation are field records from our surveys.